Filed under: Performance, Videos, Crossover, BMW, Design/Style, Luxury

BMW has released two promo videos of its revised-for-2013 X6 M. From the looks of things, Team Bavaria has opted for a very subtle facelift that includes new headlights and a lightly tweaked grille. Otherwise, the mighty performance utility looks much as it did last year. Word has it the interior will receive similarly slight changes, with the option sheet getting a few more leather choices and little else. Likewise, the freshened BMW X6 M is expected to make use of this year’s 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine.

Buyers can expect to relish the same 547 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque as last year, which should be good enough to scoot the beast to 62 mph in a scant 4.7 seconds. Hit the jump to take a look at the two videos for yourself.

Continue reading Updated BMW X6 M previewed in videos

Updated BMW X6 M previewed in videos originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Videos, Humor

Do you love to hate speed cameras? We feel your pain. After all, no technology is foolproof, and we prefer our citations to come straight from a fellow human being. But what if the speed camera had a mind of its own? As in, a real brain inside its head?

Not sure where we’re going with this? Allow us to explain. Rémi Gaillard, a French funny man famous for his hilarious YouTube stunts (real-life Mario Kart ring a bell?), decided to play dress-up a full nine months before Halloween. Flashes fire, antics ensue.

We suggest you stick around to the very end, as the exhibition reaches it final, perhaps inevitable, conclusion. See for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading Rémi Gaillard lends speed cameras a human element

Rémi Gaillard lends speed cameras a human element originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: SUV, Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Ford

It is with mixed emotions that we share this particular video, which stars two young boys who lost their mother, Nicole Miller, in 2004 after the Ford Explorer she was riding in blew a tire and rolled, causing her fatal injuries.

A sad story indeed, and we’re quite certain everyone involved wishes that Mrs. Miller were still alive and that her boys would not have had a reason compelling them to make the tribute video in the first place. Certainly, the powers-that-be at the automaker hate seeing the Blue Oval’s name brought up again in connection to older Explorers and the well-known lawsuits lodged against it after a number of owners reported rollover accidents.

While acknowledging the tragic loss of life, it’s important to remember that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the Ford Explorer and found it just as safe – or just as dangerous, as the case may be – as any other sport utility vehicle of the same era, which, importantly, was before stability control had hit the market in real numbers (and long before it became federally mandated, which was only recently). Independent tests were also carried out, none of which found the Ford Explorer to be particularly unsafe. Vehicles with high ground clearance and four-wheel drive are often afflicted with a higher center of gravity, making them easier to roll than passenger cars that sit closer to the ground.

For what it’s worth, Firestone did recall 14.4 million tires, including the ones fitted as standard equipment on many Ford Explorers built between 1991 and 2000, due to “a safety-related defect” (read: tread separation). But it isn’t Firestone that the Miller boys’ video targets, it’s the Ford Motor Company.

In response to a query from The Huffington Post, Ford spokesperson Marcey Evans said that the automaker was “familiar with this tragic accident and our sympathy goes out to the family involved.” Evans added, “We believe it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time as the family has brought a lawsuit against Ford, which is coming up for trial later this year.”

In any case, we’ve included Ryan and Gergory’s video after the break. It’s a heartstring tugger that sets new lyrics to Vanessa Carlton’s hit song A Thousand Miles, so bring tissues.

Continue reading Brothers make tribute video for mom who died when Explorer rolled

Brothers make tribute video for mom who died when Explorer rolled originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Hatchback, Hyundai, Humor, Racing

We can think of a handful of automobiles that appear to be closer to golf carts than what we’d otherwise think of as “cars”. Like the Smart ForTwo, for example. Or the Tata Nano. Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Veloster rally car, on the other hand, is not the first vehicle that would come to mind for schlepping clubs around the fairway, but Rhys himself appears to think otherwise with this latest video just released by Hyundai.

In the clip after the jump, you’ll see what happens when Millen gives new meaning to the notion of picking the right driver for the course. The added bonus of using competition machinery in place of the usual putter put-putters is that you just might get to the green before your ball does. And that could come in handy on the PGA Tour. Watch all the way through to the end for the blooper reel.

Continue reading Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Veloster rally car is about par for the course

Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Veloster rally car is about par for the course originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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